You no longer need so many cameras

Currently, the best way to get clean optical motion capture data is to rely on a large number of cameras. Sometimes as many as 30 to 60. Studios want to be sure they can capture marker movement from any angle, and they accomplish this by placing many cameras across the entire volume.

This way, even if there are multiple actors or props potentially blocking a marker, other cameras can still track it from a different angle. If a marker goes missing, even very briefly, that turns into hours of cleanup in post-production.

So the largest studios invest in many cameras to make sure there are enough redundancies to cover almost any possible movement. The idea is that given the time and money it takes to fix missing markers, it's cheaper to invest in more cameras than you strictly need, even when each one provides diminishing returns.

This seems entirely reasonable. Until you realise that these cameras can cost between $5,000 and $10,000 each.

We think there's a better way.

Kapnetix makes missing markers much less of a headache. Occlusion gaps are exactly the class of error our gap-fill models are built for, and the work that would fill a cleanup artist's day becomes a run you can scope and inspect.

Because no matter how many cameras you install, occlusion will always be part of optical mocap. So the question is whether the tedious part of the process is worth an artist's day, or whether their day is better spent on the takes that actually need judgement.

And when occlusion is no longer the thing that decides your camera count, is it worth investing in redundant cameras to catch a blocked marker every once in a while?

A proper motion capture studio will always be expensive, and will be a barrier for any new games or animation company to overcome. But if we can reduce the cost of an entry-level studio, more studios get to bring their vision to life.